Netflix Withdraws Chinese Drama Amid Vietnam's Territorial Claims Dispute

Thu Jan 08 2026 13:36:40 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Netflix has removed the Chinese series 'Shine on Me' from its Vietnam platform following demands from the Vietnamese government over a contested map displaying China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.

In response to a growing diplomatic spat, Netflix has taken down the Chinese drama 'Shine on Me' after Vietnam objected to its depiction of a map featuring the controversial nine-dash line. The Vietnamese authorities emphasized that such representations infringe on national sovereignty, reflecting long-standing tensions between Vietnam and China over territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Netflix has pulled a Chinese drama series from its Vietnam platform after Hanoi objected to an episode featuring a map with contested territorial claims in the South China Sea.

The 27-episode romance drama Shine on Me includes images of the so-called nine-dash line which Vietnam has condemned as inaccurate and infringing upon national sovereignty.

China uses the line in its maps to demarcate its territorial claims in the South China Sea. Vietnam is one of many countries that object to these claims.

Vietnam's culture ministry issued a demand for the series to be removed on January 3 and gave Netflix 24 hours to comply.

A BBC check on Tuesday found it could no longer be viewed on Netflix's Vietnam platform.

The disputed map appears several times in episode 25 of Shine On Me, in a scene about China's solar power potential.

The show's main characters attend a lecture where a map of China which shows part of the nine-dash line is projected on an auditorium screen.

Shine On Me is popular within China and other territories, ranking among Netflix's top 10 shows in Singapore, Taiwan, and Vietnam prior to its removal.

Beijing has not officially commented on the ban, although its state-run newspaper Global Times published an article urging Hanoi to separate cultural exchanges from [the] South China Sea issue.

In recent years, China has increasingly asserted its claims of sovereignty over several land parcels and their adjacent waters in the South China Sea, despite complaints from nations including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia.

China argues that various pieces of evidence, from pottery shards to navigational guides, back up its claims of historical sovereignty.

In 2016, an international tribunal ruled against China's claims in the South China Sea, but Beijing did not recognize the judgment.

The dispute between Beijing and Hanoi particularly centers on the Paracel and Spratly island chains that the nine-dash line encompasses on Chinese maps.

This controversy reflects deeper issues in Vietnam-China relations, where Vietnam's government actively manages national sentiment regarding China's influence.